Page 27 of Dice & Dekes

“Viktor, I…” Knova’s eyes open. “I haven’t been with another guy since Mick.”

My hand relaxes, and my eyes open. What the hell? Since when do my fantasies feature Knova saying another guy’s name?

They don’t, I realize. That was my subconscious, intervening at the worst possible time. Knova said those words to me before, in real life. When? Probably during our, uh, honeymoon?

I let out a bark of laughter in the silent room. My dick is already softening as reality reasserts itself. Who is Mick, anyway? Knova and I haven’t talked much about the directions our lives went when they diverged after high school. She’s never brought it up, and I don’t have much to tell. Sure, I’ve had other girlfriends. I really liked the girl I lost my virginity to back in high school, but…

She wasn’t Knova. Nobody ever measures up to her. Every time I try to get over her, to get involved with a woman who actuallylikesme, I realize I’m holding something back. I can’t tell Knova that, of course. She’d laugh in my face, not just because our dynamic, but because she’s always said she’s skeptical of love ever working out for her.

But if that’s the case, who is Mick, and why hasn’t she given me the whole story?

Why hasn’t Knight ever mentioned him? Shit, they have that twin thing on lock.

A chime fills the house, a tinkling of bells that has me sitting up and looking around for its source. Is that my phone? The screen is dark; when I turn it on, the clock says it’s almost two a.m.

Meanwhile, the sound persists. I roll out of bed and grab a pair of sweatpants to avoid freezing my balls off as I commence my search. It sounds like it’s coming from downstairs, so I descend to the lower floor and do a quick check of the kitchen. The sound is coming from all around me, soothing but nevertheless urgent.

Something thumps against the front door. My heart kicks into gear. No one ever comes by this late. And no one ever rings the bell. Could it be—?No. Don’t be stupid. Don’t hope.

“Viktor?” Knova’s voice calls. “Are you in there? I can hear you, asshat, and I’m pretty sure you just turned the lights on.”

I hurry to the front door. “What’s that sound?” I demand.

“What sound? This?” Knova prods the doorbell. That same ethereal noise floats through the house.

“I have adoorbell?” I’m truly baffled. Although, come to think of it, who drops in? I’ve lived here for more than a year, and not once has that thing gone off.

“How did you not know what your own doorbell sounded like?” Knova asks. She nudges me out of the way. “Invite me in, or at the very least don’t block the door.”

“How come my doorbell sounds like it was composed by Enya?” I shoot back. “Also, do you know how late it is? I’m not the one being rude here.”

“Whatever.” Knova drops the duffle she’s holding. It’s the same bag she was carrying when I dropped her off at Knight’s more than an hour ago. “If you’ve changed your mind, I’ll go.”

I let my eyes roam from her damp hair, which has taken on a slight curl in the desert air, to the bandages on her hands. “Hang on. Did Knight kick you out?”

“Ugh, no.” She kicks off her shoes. My throat goes dry. She’s here. In my place. Again. This time without alcohol, or chaos, or a wedding chapel. Just her. Just me. I don’t know how to act normal when she’s in my space like this. Everything about her feels like a promise I’m not allowed to keep.

So much for whatever she was saying about leaving. “He showed me to the spare room, and the next thing I know, he and Sofia are banging so loud that I’m surprised you can’t hear it from here.” She shudders. “There was a groan that sounded like a foghorn, followed by a slap on bare skin. She called himdaddy.Twice.I mean, ew? We know her dad! How is that hot?”

I have to laugh. Because it’s easier than acknowledging the part of me that snarls at the word daddy leaving her mouth. Not because I’m jealous. Just… territorial. Or something. Whatever.Shut up, brain.

Sofia’s a goody-goody most of the time, but I’ve already observed what freaks she and Knight can be when they get down and dirty. Their infamous bathtub, large enough to hold two people, is visible from one of my windows, and I’ve seen things I can’t unsee.

Not that I’mlooking. I mean… that would be perverse.

Then I imagine Knova callingmedaddy, and I file that away in the spank bank for the next time Fantasy-Knova is riding my face.

“Yeah, I’m sure it’s hilarious foryou.I’mgoing to need to go back to therapy.” Knova drops onto one of the couches. “Why does today suck such giant donkey balls?”

She spreads out like she owns the place, and something tightens in my chest. She’s wearing a Venom hoodie. She’s in my space. Her scent’s in the air now—lavender and smoke and Knova—and I feel like a man one breath away from ruin.

“Technically, it’s tomorrow.” I pull out my phone and tap through to one of my apps. “And it sucks because you’re a one-woman disaster who managed to burn her parents’ pool house down?”

“Asshole!” Knova rolls onto her side so that her face is pressed into the cushions.

“Hey, I think it’s great.” I sit on the other sofa. They’re arranged in an L, so I have to sit sideways to face her. “I have the reputation of being the worst kid in our parents’ friend group, but I think you’ve finally stolen the title.”

Knova laughs into the cushions. “That’syour takeaway from all this? Jesus, Viktor, not everything is about you.”

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